Flying through the air suspended from a cable attached to a helicopter. This is how SEAT showed off its new creation, the Arona, for the first time. And the feat took place in Barcelona, the brand’s home town, where the compact crossover has gone from being a sketch to a full-fledged vehicle. Dangling over the city’s beachfront, residents and bathers alike were treated to this surprising aerial exhibition and got a glimpse of the car’s silhouette, which will ultimately be revealed this afternoon.
-A crossover 300 metres above the sea: The Arona spent an hour flying parallel to the Barcelona coastline. Dangling from a 20 metre long cable from a helicopter moving at 80km/h, the new model hugged the shoreline 300 metres above sea level.
-From Barcelona to the world: This crossover is created in Barcelona: it was designed, developed and manufactured in the company’s facilities in Martorell. Precisely for this reason, the brand wanted the residents of the city to be the first to get a symbolic token sneak peek at its latest creation before taking it to the 80 countries where SEAT exports 81% of its output.
-Great expectation for the “flying car”: The Arona flying overhead took more than a few bathers by complete surprise as they enjoyed the sun-drenched Mediterranean Sea. “What car can it be?” some must have been asking, while others tried to make out the brand and model from the beach.
-Ready for its debut: The crossover is being presented to journalists from all over the world this afternoon at the teaser event held in Barcelona. Following its international presentation in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Arona will be reaching dealerships at the end of the year.
-An urbanite exploring new territories. The Arona will be the company’s first model to explore the constantly growing segment of the compact crossovers.
-A trio of all-roaders: The new crossover is the second pillar of SEAT’s range of all-roaders together with the Ateca, which was presented last year, and the future large SUV, whose name remains a mystery, scheduled for launch in 2018. With the Arona, the company is making progress with its largest product offensive to date, following the Ibiza and the Leon.
